Before We Get Old
by JinxSaw
Summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts, life has changed drastically for the Weasley's, Harry, Draco, Hermione and Blaise. They are all sorted in what they have and what they want, or so they think. Enter romance, questioning of identity and a struggle for power. But they should have it all dealt with before they get old... Shouldn't they? Rated T, beta'd by ProvidingTheAnswerToTheRiddle.
1. Chapter 1

**Before We Grow Old**

Chapter One

07:46

Ginny pushed open the door to the coffee shop in Diagon Alley, enjoying the tinkling sound of the wind chimes which blew in the breeze. The smell of strong, black coffee which always lingered here, no matter what else happened, drifted out to her. She smiled.

"Morning, Cho!" called Ginny, happily to the owner of the shop as she hung up her green coat on the pegs next to the door. From the back of the shop, the once-slender form of Cho Chang, now heavily pregnant, walked from the kitchens, wiping her hand on her apron.

"Hello, Ginny," she greeted the younger girl with a smile, all pervious grievances from Hogwarts forgotten. "Did you have a good time last night?' Ginny nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, I did. Harry took me to a showing of Les Miserables in the West End. It's a muggle musical… he's really into those at the moment!" She made her way behind the counter, where she slipped on an apron and began to set up the coffee machines. "How much longer?" she asked absent mindedly as the water tank began to boil.

"Any day now," she smiled. "Don't worry, Ginny. I'll be back at work before Quidditch season." Ginny nodded, and flipped the switch for decaffeinated coffee. "Thanks," said Cho gratefully as she sat down.

"Cho, what time did you get up this morning?" Ginny asked, concerned. Cho frowned, sipping the coffee.

"I don't remember, I think maybe three? It's the baby's fault. I can't sleep properly with it."

"Dudley should help you," Ginny said sternly.

"Dudley is a muggle, and knows nothing about magic. He couldn't help with this even if he wanted to. Which he does," she added hastily at seeing the Weasley glare. She levered herself out the chair, and made her way to the door to flip the sign over. "Get ready, Ginny. Looks like a busy day."

x

x

12;39

"I'll have a cappuccino for me and a rocky road... and whatever you'd like for yourself, Weaslette." Malfoy grinned across the counter at his friend as she scowled back at him.

"I told you, Draccie, don't call me Weaslette. And I can't take my break now, Lavender hasn't shown up yet." Draco rolled his eyes as Ginny prepared his order and her lunch. "How's work?" she asked over the sound of the coffee machine.

"Not bad," he shrugged. "Your brother's giving me hell. He insists on being treated by me, no one else. It's ridiculous." The blonde scowled as Ginny passed him a tall coffee glass.

"Maybe he has a thing for you, Draco?" she joked, ringing up the food. "That's four sickles and eight knuts, please." She held her hand out, and he dropped five sickles in her palm.

"Keep the change, Ginny'" He winked at her, before scooping up the food and heading to their usual table.

"Hello there, what can I get you?" asked Ginny Weasley, thinking longingly of the food at the table in the corner.

The door flew open with a resounding crash, and Lavender stumbled into the shop before waving at Ginny. She hurried behind the counter, tying her apron as she went, and Ginny went happily to where Draco was sat.

"So, do you like him?" she asked, sitting down and grabbing her roll. Draco flipped her off. "Seriously, Malfoy, Charlie has a real thing for you. Although it might be more to do with the fact that your name literally means dragon..."

"Oh, hush you," Draco shook his head at his best friend, picking delicately at a marshmallow with his long slender fingers. "If you really must know, there is someone I like." He became very interested in his food.

"Who?" Ginny breathed, barely keeping her squeal inside her, eyes wide.

Draco had never really thought about how odd marshmallows really were. They were like soft honeycomb.

"Draco!" whined Ginny. He looked up, and his eyes met hers. "Who is he?"

"It can never happen," Draco said to the marshmallow. "He's with this girl who really loves him... and he loves her."

"Do I know him?"

"Yeah, you do." Ginny racked her brains, trying to think of who it could be. There was Neville, who was with Luna at the moment but really very rocky, so she didn't think it was him. Then there was Zabini... But he wasn't with anyone, a fact Draco kept drilling into her head. That left Seamus and Dean but they were with each other, definitely not a girl, and her brothers. She sighed deeply.

"Ok, which one?" Draco looked confused. "Which one of my brothers is it?" Draco laughed.

"None of them. Trust me; you'd know if it was one of them. You won't guess. The thing is... he went out with his girlfriend last night, and I met him when he got back to his flat. And, I might have kissed him. Just once!" he added, hastily, seeing the look on her face.

"Did he kiss you back?" Draco nodded and closed his eyes, a grin spreading across his face slowly.

"And he was brilliant." His eyes snapped open as the third chair at their table was scraped back. "Hey Blaise," he grinned. Blaise Zabini smiled back at him.

"Wotcher, Draco, Ginny" He tipped his hat at the red head as he sat down at the table. "What's new?"

"Draco his eye on a new guy," said Ginny teasingly. Blaise looked unimpressed.

"I know. And trust me; this is not new, just refurbished. He's been in love with the guy since first year." Blaise grabbed his muffin and bit into it messily, as Draco thumped his head down onto the table.

"Blaise..." he moaned." Just shut up, will you?"

"Shan't," Zabini retaliated, talking through a large mouthful. Ginny wrinkled her nose at him, before looking at her watch.

"I need to get down to the office quickly, we have a team meeting today to discuss try outs for next season. I'll see you guys later." She dropped a kiss on Draco's head, nodded at Zabini and left, only just remembering her coat. The two boys watched her go.

"Are you ever gonna tell her it's Harry?" asked Blaise. Draco shook his head.

"No. I respect her too much."

Lavender listened in, a cruel smile on her scarred face.

A/N: Thanks to ProvidingTheAnswerToTheRiddle for beta'ing this for me. You rock hun, go check her stuff out, it is fantabulous.


	2. Chapter 2

**Before We Get Old**

Chapter Two

6:27

"No, Zabini. Goodbye."

"Wait! There's something else…"

"What do you want, Zabini?"

"I want to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you!"

"Ginny, stop being so aggressive!"

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. This was the way things always were with her and Blaise. They argued constantly, excluding the times when Draco was around to keep them calm. She twisted the cord of the phone around her finger, determined to not let him get the better of her again.

"What is it then, Zabini?"

"Have you heard from Lavender recently?"

"No… why?"

"No reason. I'll see you tomorrow, bye!" Blaise slammed down the pay phone quickly and spun around to see Lavender standing on the other side of the plaza. She waved at him, and he waved back awkwardly. She walked towards him. "Shit," he muttered, knowing there was no way out of this one. "Hey again, Lav." He rubbed his neck.

"Hi, Blaise. You ran off quickly then, all I wanted to know was whether there was any truth behind the rumour that Draco and Harry were seeing each other." She blinked up at him, and smoothed down her really very short skirt.

"No, Lavender. Where did you hear that?" he asked, willing her to lose interest and walk away. Unfortunately, she didn't.

"I heard you and Draco talking about how upset Ginny would be. Say, who do you think Ron would beat up if she found out? Hypothetically, of course." Blaise stared at her. "I think Draco, he never really liked him, and Harry is his best friend."

"Go away, Lavender," Blaise snarled, pushing past the promiscuous witch and towards where the floo point was. "There's nothing going on between Draco and Harry, and I really don't want to talk to you."

"Not even for a good time?" Lavender pouted, sliding up to him, pressing her lips into his neck. "I could give you a good time," she muttered. Blaise thought about his latest rejection, then thought about what those lips would feel like pressed up against even more sensitive parts of his anatomy. He groaned.

"Fuck you, Lavender," he sighed, pushing her towards the floo point, and disappearing with her to his apartment.

x

x

7:18

"Hey Ginny, I'm here!" Harry called into his girlfriend's flat. There was a clatter from the kitchen, almost as if someone had dropped a frying pan, and then the young red headed witch was in his arms, pressing kisses to his face.

"Hi Harry, how was your day?" she grinned as she saw his bright green eyes, but her smile soon fell as she saw they were carefully guarded. "What happened?" He gently slid her down so she was standing on the floor before stroking her hair.

"Two murders." His lips narrowed to a thin line.

"Who?" breathed Ginny quietly. "Did we know them?" Harry nodded slightly.

"Do you remember Marietta Edgecombe?" Ginny's eyes widened, and she bit her lip, nodding. "The other was her older sister, you wouldn't know her. It could just be a random attack, but there is a possibility that it's retaliation from the victory." Harry flexed his neck. "Got a cup of tea?" Ginny rushed to the kitchen, and prepared a cup of tea. Harry stood in the doorway and watched her.

"Funny thing is, these killings didn't look like those of a normal one. They were more like a standard muggle killing. It's an odd case." He sipped the tea which Ginny had handed to him silently.

"Do you think it was a muggle then?" she asked, aghast. Harry shrugged.

"We don't think anything at the moment. Time turners can only help us so far, and we can only go back 12 hours. It'd been two days since they had died when we found them, which is also unusual." He stared into the mug, not really seeing what was there.

"Cho's coming along fine," said Ginny hesitantly, looking for a way to change the conversation. Harry looked up confused. "With her pregnancy," she added hastily, and Harry nodded absentmindedly. "Draco got me lunch again today." At that, Harry looked up and smiled.

"How is Draco, then?"

x

x

9:43

_D.M;_

_Fuck Weaslette. Fuck everything about her. Fuck the way she smells when she walks past after work. Fuck the way her hair swishes around her when she turns her head. Fuck the way she sounds like chocolate for your ear. Fuck the way when she talks to you, you feel like the most important person in the world, even when she's hating every fibre of your being. Fuck her, man. Shit, I'm in love._

x

_You're drunk, aren't you?_

_D.M._

x

_D.M;_

_No, I am in love. And there's some chick in my bed. That's not Ginny. Shit, Draco, I need help. Come and get rid of her for me._

x

_No._

_D.M._

x

_D.M;_

_Draco?_

x

_D.M;_

_DRACO MALFOY?_

It wasn't too bad of a night, reflected Draco, as he went to visit the Greengrass sisters, first on his mother's list of women he should consider for marriage. He was too scared to just say outright to his family that he was gay. That would end the line of Malfoys, and would definitely cause his father to break out of Azkaban to kill him. Or at least put him under the Imperious curse for the rest of his life.

So, this week Draco had to visit all his potential wives, at the arrangement of his mother and their parents. It was not a week he was looking forward to, particularly Tuesday, which would involve him going to see Pansy Parkinson, a witch he had left in his seventh year for Gryffindor Dean Thomas. Luckily, she hadn't been quite shallow enough to tell any of his family about his sexuality, but it was still a potentially awkward confrontation.

"Draco, how wonderful to see you," said Astoria, blushing deeply. The blonde had had a thing for Draco for years now, and she would not let it drop.

"Likewise, Miss Greengrass," he muttered in an uninterested tone.

"Wotcher, Draco," said Daphne, who was far more relaxed around him. He nodded at the other girl, and stepped inside their large house.

x

x

10:07

Hermione looked down in shock at Ron, on the ground before her on one knee. She had been dreaming about this moment for years now, of course, but she had never imagined it being so… perfect.

"Hermione?" asked Ron worriedly, standing up quickly.

"Yes, Ron, yes!" Hermione sobbed, throwing her arms around his neck, crying into the neck of his jumper. Ron sighed with relief, and slipped the ring onto her finger.

"Love you, 'Mione," he whispered into her hair.

x

x

11:27

_D.M._

_Please, Draco. I need your help…_

**A/N: Thanks again to ProvidingTheAnswerToTheRiddle, my awesome beta reader!**


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